The April escalation of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict saw a large number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) enabled by Azerbaijan. Although many of the drones were shot down, the Armenian side suffered human losses: one of the Israeli-made UAVs hit a bus of volunteers, killing 7 people. Armenian IT companies have already expressed readiness to cooperate with the Ministry of Defense for joint development of modern surveillance and safety systems.

For the first time since the 1994 ceasefire agreement, unprecedented military actions were unleashed on the contact line between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan on April 2, 2016. The Azerbaijani army attempted a blitzkrieg, making use of virtually all its military arsenal. In the course of the clashes, Baku, among other things, employed unmanned drones many of which were destroyed by the Karabakh armed forces. The battles didn’t go without casualties; an Israeli kamikaze drone, IAI Harop struck a bus carrying volunteers, leaving 7 killed.

Technology & Science Dynamics (TSD) hosted by Yerevan-based Mergelyan Computer Research and Development Institute has launched production of the first Armenian tablets and smartphones. In the framework of the “One child, one computer” governmental program, the company presented its ArmTab TSD Wide A1004T educational tablet, the first of the devices to be produced.

With little time left till the start of the tourist season, it would be useful to learn about mobile platforms which can considerably ease a traveler’s life. Innovative technologies have become irreplaceable companion of any groover, especially when traveling. With the help of various applications, one can find the way or a needed place in a strange locality.

With the development of communication technologies, platforms offering video streaming services become more popular. One of the biggest U.S. companies, Netflix, vows to totally change the traditions of watching movies. It’s no more necessary to visit a movie theater and stand in queues in order to comfortably watch a film, as mobile technologies allow carrying the world cinematography in your pocket. To keep up with the global trends, a small Armenian startup developed its own analog of Netflix, incorporating an almost complete collection of Armenian films.

The rapidly developing market of Armenian startups engaged in IT is remarkable for its ambitious plans and objectives.

March 11, 2016

All those Armenian companies striving to be recognized internationally cannot avoid competition with major tech firms. The success of these teams depends directly on the creativity and originality of their ideas. Revealing the shortcomings of various famous services, they offer their own products.

A great number of sights in small Armenia is quite a problem for tourists, who visit the country for the first time. It’s often hard to decide where to go and what to see, while travel agents offer the most popular and standard tours. What to do if a foreigner wants to see places not included in the standard route? Addressing various tour operators means losing time and getting ambiguous price lists, without having a possibility to compare. Who will be the guide and how professional is he? The tourists will only know it after the end of the tour. Nevertheless, Armenian startup has developed online platform Localz, which offers tourists to outline individual tours and choose the guide they want.

The gathering will help represent our country as one of Europe’s most important IT hubs and part of a huge ecosystem.

February 16, 2016

Startup Europe Week 2016 Yerevan kicked off in the Armenian capital on February 5 with the purpose to unite representatives of the IT field, boost the development of startup environment and reveal the most urgent problems the startups face.

The Center of Excellence is closely cooperating with Armenian IT companies and other training centers in the country and abroad.

February 12, 2016

The rapid development of Armenia’s IT field and emergence of new companies inevitably creates demand for professionals. However, getting an education is only the first step on the road. To become a specialist, one should constantly improve the knowledge and skills. To that end, training courses and education platforms are created, one of which is the Armenian-Indian Center of Excellence.

In the course of a year, 10-15% of the granules turn into nutritional agents, which, in turn, are being absorbed by the plant.

February 4, 2016

With climate changes and increasing world population, food safety has become a global issue. Scientists are trying to develop new methods to boost agricultural production for getting better harvest at a less cost. Basing on new achievements in the field of polymerization, Armenian startup Eco Technology has developed a product called AquaSource.

Armenian ARLOOPA information technology company and Shabeeg clothing brand have united efforts to create Armenia’s first ever AR (Augmented Reality) animated educating T-shirts. Armenian King Artashes II depicted on the interactive T-shirts not only looks handsome and modern but also wakes up after centuries-long sleep to tell about the last powerful representative of the Artashesian (Artaxiad) Dynasty.

2016 can be called a year of policy review rather than a year of development of the Armenian IT field. The April escalation of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict showed that the efficiency of military operations for some part depends on use of the latest technologies. After the 4-day war, a lot of IT companies have reviewed their approaches and offered assistance in boosting the development of military industry.

Modern mobile devices have already become an inseparable part of our life. Here, the task of the adults is to familiarize their children with interesting brain games, as the kids are fast learners, especially when the development process is exciting.

The problem of cyber security and piracy has always been urgent amid the growing number of attacks against corporate computers, websites and IT networks. To know more about the solutions for software security, PAN talked to Dmitry Beresnev, Senior Anti-Piracy Manager & Compliance Director at Microsoft for the CIS countries.